Category: Food for thought

Whew!  That was a long journey.

I never saw that one coming, but then again, I should have.

It seems like every interesting little thing in the word that you want to look up turns into a massive research project that is tied into hundreds of verses, concepts, and other teachings.

Which brings us to Psalms 107 – nine long, in-depth pieces of biblical research on only 1 chapter out of 1,189 chapters, which makes this less than 1/10 of 1% of the bible.

And we’ve only covered part of it.

Maybe this is just one reason why the word of God is God’s greatest work.

Enjoy just some of the highlights of each article, arranged in chronological and numerical order below.

This way we can better grasp the scope of this chapter and see from God’s 360-degree spiritual vantage point.

It’s important to gain closure on a subject before moving on to other concepts.

Part 1

In part 1, we saw the big picture of the Psalms as a whole and drilled down to the structure of Psalms 107 and what that means to us.

Once we got the overall structure of the 5 books of Psalms, we then got a more detailed look at the 5th book, the Deuteronomy book.

Then it was time to get into the meaning and structure of Psalms 107.

This illustrates the power of precision, order, and structure of the word of the Lord.

Part 2

Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

This is why the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time didn’t get deliverance in their time of trouble: they rebelled against his word.

But the Israelites in Psalms 107, in spite of going through a phase of rebellion, ultimately, they came back to the Lord and got complete deliverance.

God’s deliverance is:

• Past
• Present
• Future

That covers all eternity!

What are some the wonderful works of God?

Psalms 107
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

“Wonderful works” is the Hebrew word pala: to be surpassing or extraordinary.

Below are just 2 of the things in the bible I know of that have surpassing excellence: the love of Christ and the peace of God.

Ephesians 3:19 [amplified bible]
and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Philippians 4:7 [New English Translation]
And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God has done so many great things:

• Created the universe that is so vast and advanced that even after studying it for thousands of years, we still haven’t even scratched the surface and nobody can fully comprehend even a tiny fraction of it
• Made the human body, which is the most advanced physical being ever; we will never fully understand how it all works, especially the brain
• How God works in our daily lives, who can do things that we will never figure out how it all worked together

According to NASA, the latest astronomical data reveals that there are at least 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, each containing several hundred billion stars and planets, and God has designed, created out of nothing, counted and named all of them!!

Psalms 147
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is INFINITE.

In the old testament, when you read verses about God doing evil things to people, it’s the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission.  It means that God isn’t actually doing the evil thing, but is allowing it to happen because people reap what they sow and have freedom of will.

Part 3

The Israelites experienced spiritual darkness and imprisonment as a consequence of their rebellion against God’s word.

Although we don’t know what the prisons of Babylon were like, we can get a general idea from this image of the Mamertine prison in Rome, 12 feet underground right next to the city’s sewer system where the apostles Paul and Peter were captured and killed.

Yet the worst prison of all is psychological and spiritual.

It’s living in such things as darkness, bondage and fear.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Yet the Lord is merciful and gracious and will still deliver all those who are meek and humble enough to have a change of heart.

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Look at the unfathomable mercy of the Lord!!

Despite all the Israelites repeated rebellion, he still saved them!

No wonder all 26 verses of Psalms 136 end with the phrase “for his mercy endureth for ever“!   Verse 24 is particularly relevant to the Israelites.

Sometimes our worst enemy is in the mirror.

Such was the case with the Israelites, for not all their woes were from external attacks, but deceptions from within.

That is why we must stick to the word of God daily to keep the love and light of the Lord burning brightly in our hearts.

Part 4

Psalms 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Both Psalms 107 and Psalms 119 are in the last book or section of Psalms with the main context being the word of God.

The distracted mind is the defeated mind.

Hebrews 4:12 [amplified bible]
For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Let’s clarify and summarize the Hebrews chain of deliverance:

1. Hebrews 4: We start with the rightly-divided, living and energized word of God
2. Hebrews 4: Mix it with a tiny mustard seed of believing
3. Galatians 5: Which is energized by God’s infinite and perfect love
4. Hebrews 11: Believing without actions is dead [James 2].  Believing = speaking the words of God, either by our 5-senses knowledge of the word or by operating the manifestations of holy spirit
5. Hebrews 13: While keeping idolatry at bay, we can boldly say the Lord is our helper and we receive deliverance from all our troubles.

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

The word “faith” in verse 2 comes from the Greek word pistis, which is better translated believing.

Look at this definition of “mixed”!

HELPS Word-studies
4786 sygkeránnymi (from 4862 /sýn, “identified with,” intensifying 2767 /keránnymi, “mix into a new and improved compound”) – properly, mix together into a superior compound – “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically [the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements].

Part 5

In verse 13, it says that God had saved them out of their distresses [plural].

Although distress is on the lower end of the intensity scale, the fact that the  Israelites were surrounded by multiple distresses multiple times multiplies their effect.

Not a good place to be.

God’s order of deliverance:

1. God’s light leads them in the right way
2. Out of the darkness
3. Breaks their bondage
4. Heals them with his word
5. Delivered them from their destructions
6. Gives them peace, safety and gladness, the opposite of multiple distresses

The truth is that human behavior is more influenced by spiritual sources than anything else.

This is just one reason why modern psychology has failed us: it totally ignores the spiritual factors in human behavior.

Religious legalism often drives people into bondage and darkness, mentally and spiritually enslaving them.

Acts 21:20
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

However…

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Man’s ways vs God’s ways

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 10:17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

Jesus Christ is the true and living way.

There are 2 Babylons:  the physical city that was in the middle east that had the Euphrates river running through the middle of it and the other represents the spiritual realm of the devil.

What do history, metallurgy, and nutrition have in common?

There are 3 different metals known as the red metals:

• Copper
• Brass [copper + zinc]
• Bronze [copper + tin and other materials]

Copper is one of the few metals that occur in nature in directly usable metallic form [native metals] as opposed to needing extraction from an ore. This led to very early human use.

It’s interesting that in both Psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45:2, brass [bronze] is mentioned first, then iron second.

This is historically accurate since the bronze age occurred before the iron age because extracting iron from iron ore is much more complex and expensive than just using copper directly.

Furthermore, if only 2% to as low as 0.002% carbon is combined with iron, they make steel, which is a metal alloy that has different characteristics than iron.

From a nutritional point of view, copper and iron are essential minerals.

Without copper in the diet, iron cannot even be absorbed, so copper is a prerequisite for iron absorption and that is why its listed before iron.

Thus, from historical, metallurgical and nutritional viewpoints, the order of the words bronze [which is almost all copper] and iron in Psalms 107:16 are perfect.

Part 6

This section has a lot of great information on God’s wisdom.

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

What does the bible say about foolishness?

The root word “fool” is used in 189 verses in the kjv, and in 78 verses in Proverbs alone [41%!], more than any other book of the bible by a wide margin.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Forms of Foolishness

Matthew 23
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
33 Ye serpents, ye generation [offspring] of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Selling your soul to the devil tops the list of foolish things to do.

Not doing the will of God is foolish also.

Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Not being prepared for known needs is foolish.

Matthew 25
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

These virgins knew the lamps needed oil, so why didn’t they take some extra with them?

One of the many ingredients of homosexuality is foolishness since Romans 1 lists it twice!

Romans 1 [amplified bible]
21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

One of the consequences of the love of money is falling into many foolish and hurtful lusts.

When you are falling, you lose control, knowing there is injury and pain to follow.

I Timothy 6
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

You must decide which is greater: the pain of your problem or the pain of discipline that is necessary to fix it.

This sounds like the Jepardy game!

“I’ll take Characteristics or Consequences for $200.”

Finally, we must have both the milk and meat of the word of God in order to grow.

Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [spiritual maturity], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Part 7

The word “word” is used 1,179 times in the bible.

Its first usage in Genesis sets a very important foundational principle.

Genesis 15:1 [amplified bible]
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; Your reward [for obedience] shall be very great.”

If we are to get healed and delivered by the Lord, the first thing we must do is identify our fears and eliminate them with the love of God.

Why?

Job 3
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job’s fear is what broke open a hole in the spiritual fence of protection around him and allowed Satan, the adversary, access to Job and his life and wreak havoc.

The new testament reveals why Job, full of fear, had no rest or peace.

I John 4
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Verse 18 says “fear hath torment”, the opposite of peace.

Why is peace so important?

Romans 15:13 [amplified bible]
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

Speaking of fear, when Gideon set up his army, the first thing he did was eliminate all the men with fear, then he removed all the idolaters.  After that, Gideon and his laughably small army of 300 decisively won a battle where:

• They were outnumbered approximately 450 to 1
• They used no weapons
• No casualties
• No injuries
• The enemy was completely annihilated.

Isn’t that the God you want fighting for you?

This is the exact same God that healed the Israelites and delivered them from all their distresses.

The old testament is the new testament concealed.

The new testament is the old testament revealed.

Anytime there is an apparent contradiction in the bible, the answer will always be in a wrong and/or incomplete understanding of scripture and/or a wrong translation of the bible.

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from all their destructions.

This is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer.

Because Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten son, he was a great healer as well.

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

This is a quote from Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus Christ fulfilled.

Part 8

Luke 17:19
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith [believing] hath made thee whole.

Look at the definition of the word “whole” in verse 19!

This is exactly what the Lord did for the Israelites in Psalms 107 multiple times!

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

There are 3 parts of Psalms 107:20 and they are all in perfect order – his word, healing, and deliverance.

• They put God and his word first by doing his will, which is the love of God [Matthew 6:33 & I John 5:3]
• Then the Lord healed their hearts, which is where believing originates [Proverbs 4:23 & 23:7].
• This enabled them to believe God for his deliverance 5 times in a row!  [Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 20, 28].  5 in the bible is the number of grace = unmerited divine favor.

As Psalms 19 says, the heavenly bodies [planets, moons, stars etc] taught people the word of God long before the written word ever came around.

God so perfectly arranged the planets in our solar system, the stars in our galaxy and the trillions of galaxies in the universe to teach us his word so that the spiritual lessons in the night sky can only be seen and understood from the vantage point of earth, the only planet mentioned by name in the bible.

How could this have happened by accident???

Look at all these biblical maritime terms and concepts!

• [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times [Isaiah 33:6]
• The hope of Jesus Christ’s return is the anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast [Hebrews 6:19]
• Wrong doctrines can make a shipwreck of our faith [believing – I Timothy 1:19]
• Don’t be like spiritual children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine [Ephesians 4:14]
• Don’t be double-minded, or you will be unstable as a wave in a stormy sea [James 1:8]

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

I trust this has been an enlightening journey for us all, one that strengthens us daily as we walk for God all the days of our lives.

I just realized that part 9 is the final episode of Psalms 107 and the biblical meaning of 9 in the bible is finality.

I also just realized how the theme verse for Psalms 107:

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

dove-tails right into my next series on the bible vs the modern medical system.

It is the application of principles of healing that we learned from Psalms 107, which is God’s wisdom.

It is finally time to expose the lies and allow people to be told the truth and be healed.

Welcome to part 8 of this series of Psalms 107!

Verses 21 and 22

21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

This is the third of 4 times that the Israelites have praised the Lord for his goodness!

This also demonstrates their thankfulness, which the next verse mentions.

In their culture and biblical administration, that was the way to do it.

However, in our day, and in our biblical administration [the age of grace], there is a much better way to demonstrate our thankfulness.

I Corinthians 14:17
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.

This whole chapter is about the 9 manifestations  [not gifts!]  of holy spirit as they are to be operated within the church.

Contrary to what the devil would like you to be taught, every christian has the innate spiritual ability to manifest all 9 all the time!

Speaking in tongues is giving thanks well to God and was first made available on the day of Pentecost in 28A.D..

It just so happens that speaking in tongues is also demonstrating the wonderful works of God!

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Another benefit of the age of grace is that we don’t have to “sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving” by sacrificing animals on the altar on a regular basis.

We are a thanks-living sacrifice because Jesus Christ already sacrificed himself to God in our place.

Romans 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What is at least one benefit of thankfulness?

Luke 17
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith [believing] hath made thee whole.

True believing involves thankfulness and glory to God who makes us whole.

Look at the definition of the word “whole” in verse 19!

Check this out – do you see the first definition?

TO HEAL.

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

The Lord our healer [Jehovah Rapha] healed the Israelites hearts first so they were able to believe Him for deliverance afterwards.

There are 3 parts of Psalms 107:20 and they are all in perfect order – his word, healing, and deliverance.

• They put God and his word first by doing his will, which is the love of God [Matthew 6:33 & I John 5:3]
• Then the Lord healed their hearts, which is where believing originates [Proverbs 4:23 & 23:7].
• This enabled them to believe God for his deliverance 5 times in a row!  [Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 20, 28].  5 in the bible is the number of grace = unmerited divine favor.

Proverbs 24:16
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

This is another biblical principle the Israelites applied to their benefit.  Seven in the bible is the number of spiritual perfection, so we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to be faithful.

The devil kept knocking them down, but with God’s grace and mercy and their thankful believing, they kept getting right back up.

They were like those plastic inflatable punching bags we get as children.

They have the weight at the bottom and no matter how many times you punch them or how hard you hit, they just keep coming back for more, like they’re mocking you, saying, “is that all you’ve got?”

When we believe God’s word with thanksgiving, we can tell the devil that.

Verses 23 and 24

23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

These sailors had the blue sea beneath them and the blue sky above.

In the bible, blue is indicative of God’s presence, so they were literally surrounded by the comforting presence of God.

What a magnificent place to be!

As Psalms 19 says, the heavenly bodies [planets, moons, stars etc] taught people the word of God long before the written word ever came around.

The Earth in its orbit around the Sun causes the Sun to appear on the celestial sphere moving along the ecliptic (biggest red circle), which is tilted 23.44° with respect to the celestial equator (blue-white).

God so perfectly arranged the planets in our solar system, the stars in our galaxy and the trillions of galaxies in the universe to teach us his word so that the spiritual lessons in the night sky can only be seen and understood from the vantage point of earth, the only planet mentioned by name in the bible.

How could this have happened by accident???

Verse 25

25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

In this verse, it clearly indicates that the Lord is the one causing the storm, but yet verse 29 says he also calms the storm.

This is confusing and contradictory, is it not?

Why would God cause a storm on the sea to go against the maritime merchants, and then calm it down?

It doesn’t make any sense!

Unless you understand the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission.

It means that God ALLOWED the storm to happen.  He gives all entities that have freedom of will permission to carry out their will.

Thus, this storm could not have come from God, and therefore, had to have originated from the world and Satan who is the God of it.

Verses 26 & 27

Psalms 107 [amplified bible]
26 They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough]; Their courage melted away in their misery.
27 They staggered and trembled like a drunken man, and were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].

This is a very bad place to be!

They feared for their lives, many of them were likely seasick, they couldn’t walk a straight line and have lost control of their ship.

All their knowledge, experience, and conventional wisdom about how to navigate the sea was thrown overboard.

How timely the word of God is!

Isaiah 33
5 The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
6 And [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Man’s wisdom was useless against the storm, but God’s wisdom and knowledge is stability and strength of salvation.

What a contrast – man’s wisdom vs God’s wisdom!

Hebrews 6
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

I Timothy 1 [amplified bible]
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, so that [inspired and aided] by them you may fight the good fight [in contending with false teachers],
19 keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith [believing].
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.

Ephesians 4
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Look at all these biblical maritime terms and concepts!

• [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times [Isaiah 33:6]
• The hope of Jesus Christ’s return is the anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast [Hebrews 6:19]
• Wrong doctrines can make a shipwreck of our faith [believing – I Timothy 1:19]
• Don’t be like spiritual children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine [Ephesians 4:14]
• Don’t be double-minded, or you will be unstable as a wave in a stormy sea [James 1:8]

Verses 28 – 31

After being healed and rescued so many times by the Lord, what a great comfort they had, knowing they had a fortress, a safe haven to run to in times of trouble.

God will always be there for you.

28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

God can calm the storms of the adversary in your life.

Look at the example of God’s son Jesus Christ and find out why he could do so much…

Luke 8
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Look at the heart and life of Jesus Christ!

The seed obviously fell on good ground.

How do we know?

Look at the good fruit he brought forth in a rough storm of life!

Matthew 14
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith [believing], wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 107
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Verse 17

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

What does the bible say about foolishness?

The root word “fool” is used in 189 verses in the kjv, and in 78 verses in Proverbs alone [41%!], more than any other book of the bible by a wide margin.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

An example of this is in verse 11 that we have already covered, so foolishness was one of the downfalls of these Israelites.

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned [despised] the counsel of the most High:

Foolishness is basically the opposite of God’s wisdom.

The word “wisdom” in the kjv is used in 222 verses, with 53 of those being in Proverbs alone [24%].

The word “wise” is used in 257 verses, with 66 of those being in proverbs [25%].

Everybody knows that the book of Proverbs is all about wisdom, but Ecclesiastes, which directly follows Proverbs, is wisdom personified, doubly emphasizing the importance of God’s wisdom.

Fortunately, God’s words of wisdom outweighs the foolishness of man!

So, the words “wise” & “wisdom” are used in 479 verses vs 189 verses for the root word “fool”.

That’s a ratio of approximately 2.5 to 1.

Forms of Foolishness

Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Raca:

HELPS Word-studies
4469 rhaká (apparently related to the Aramaic term rōq, “empty”) – properly, empty-headed. This term expressed contempt for a man’s head, viewing him as stupid (without sense) – i.e. a “numbskull” who acts presumptuously and thoughtlessly (TDNT).

It doesn’t seem right that if somebody simply calls somebody else a fool that he should be burned up in hell, does it?

Of course not!

Until you understand old testament law and see who it refers to in Matthew 23 – people who have sold their souls to the devil and have become his child.

Deuteronomy 19
16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

Proverbs 19:5
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

Matthew 23
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
33 Ye serpents, ye generation [offspring] of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

So the takeaway here is that its extremely foolish to sell your soul to the devil or to falsely accuse somebody of being the devil’s child, especially under the old testament law.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

What else is foolish?

Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

So not doing the will of God is foolish also.

This sounds like the Israelites in Psalms 107 who despised the words and wisdom of God.

Matthew 25
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

You must prepare for the unexpected, lest your foolishness cause you trouble.

What about homosexuality and foolishness?

Romans 1 [amplified bible]
21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23 and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin],

25 because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading and vile passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural [a function contrary to nature],
27 and in the same way also the men turned away from the natural function of the woman and were consumed with their desire toward one another, men with men committing shameful acts and in return receiving in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing.

Foolishness is one of the ingredients of homosexuality.

More Miscellaneous examples of foolishness

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The unbelieving world will see the word and wisdom of God as utter foolishness because without the gift of holy spirit within, its impossible to understand it.

Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This is similar to the lesson in Matthew 7 where not doing the word of God, whether deliberate or out of deception, is foolish.

Ephesians 5:15
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Part of walking in God’s wisdom is not being in the dark, but having a full 360 degree view, without any blind spots.

Otherwise your foolishness will hinder you or cause you harm.

2 Timothy 2:23
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

Avoid foolish questions and you will have more peace.

I Timothy 6
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

If you want to avoid “destruction and perdition”, then avoid “foolish and hurtful lusts”.

Since homosexuality involves being consumed by unnatural lust and the corresponding consequences, it could be classified as a foolish and hurtful lust.

These are just a few of the many forms of foolishness to avoid.

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

The bottom line is that its foolish to rebel against God’s word because you are going to reap what you sow = consequences that make you cringe.

Verse 17 says they were afflicted.

Not fun.

You must decide which is greater: the pain of your problem or the pain of discipline that is necessary to fix it.

Verse 18

Psalms 107:18
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

There are only 2 verses in the bible that have both words “abhorreth” and “meat”:

Notice the parallel between Psalms 107:18 and Job 33:20.

This sounds like the Jepardy game!

“I’ll take Characteristics or Consequences for $200.”

Look at the very first usage of the word “meat” in the bible!

Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

The usage of the word “meat” is a figure of speech meaning nourishment.

Watch this enlightening 5-minute explanation of Genesis 1:29! [32 min – 37 min].

Exodus 29
41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

Leviticus 2:3
And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.

The remnants of the meat offering are the “most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire”, yet the Israelites abhorred it.

That’s not about the meat, but is symbolic of their rejection of God and rebellion against his commandments.

John 4:34
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

The word “meat” is again used figuratively to indicate that doing the will of God was Jesus’ spiritual nourishment.

Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Job’s priorities were set right – the spiritual food from God was more important than his physical food!

Jesus Christ had the same attitude of reverence to God’s word.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

John 6:27
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Look at the great wisdom of the bible!

Life isn’t about money, food or work, but in knowing and doing the will of God out of our love and respect for him.

Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is the wisdom of the Lord.

Acts 2
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

We should have gladness, not be at death’s door.

Spiritual meat and maturity

1 Corinthians 3:2
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

The Corinthians were too spiritually immature to be able to handle the in-depth spiritual truths of God, so the apostle Paul gave them the milk of the word instead, because they were spiritual babes in Christ.

That is why they were stuck on the crucifixion of Christ instead of his resurrection and the day of Pentecost.

And why God, through the apostle Paul, didn’t reveal the mystery to them, but to the Ephesians, who could handle the spiritual meat of the word.

The Israelites in Psalms 107 got to the place where they couldn’t handle the spiritual meat of the word.  Therefore, they were babes in the word.

I Timothy 4
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [spiritual maturity], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

As we learn the lessons of life in Psalms 107, and apply them with the wisdom of God, while avoiding the foolishness of the world, we too shall be able to enjoy the thick, juicy steak of God’s word.

The meat of the word is even better than the best cuts of beef the world has to offer!

Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Welcome to part 5 of Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Verse 13

In verse 13, it says that God had saved them out of their distresses [plural].

Although distress is on the lower end of the intensity scale, the fact that the  Israelites were surrounded by multiple distresses multiple times multiplies their effect.

Not a good place to be.

The 7 types of spiritual attacks against us

David was in the same place, so he went to the Lord in prayer as well.

Psalms 25:17
The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

God delivered the Israelites from multiple distresses on 4 separate occasions.

Psalms 107
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Nobody else can deliver us like God can.

No wonder the Israelites praised God 4 times!

Psalms 107
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Verses 7 & 14

Psalms 107:14
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

Look at the perfect order of God’s deliverance!

Psalms 107
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

1. First, God’s light leads them in the right way,
2. Out of the darkness,
3. Breaks their bondage
4. Heals them with his word,
5. Delivered them from their destructions,
6. Gives them peace, safety and gladness, the opposite of multiple distresses.

Are you confused about which way to go in life?

Which way do you want to go in life? God’s way is best!

Compare man’s ways…

Genesis 6:12
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

with God’s ways!

Proverbs 10:17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

Proverbs 10:29
The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 35 [amplified bible]
7 And the burning sand (mirage) will become a pool [of water] And the thirsty ground springs of water;  In the haunt of jackals, where they lay resting, grass becomes reeds and rushes.

8 A highway will be there, and a roadway; And it will be called the Holy Way. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for those who walk on the way [the redeemed]; And fools will not wander on it.

9 No lion will be there, nor will any predatory animal come up on it; They will not be found there.  But the redeemed will walk there.

10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with shouts of jubilation, And everlasting joy will be upon their heads; They will find joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

In verse 9, the real emphasis isn’t talking about physical lions and tigers and bears, [oh my!] but rather spiritual lions and tigers and bears.

Jesus Christ is called the lion out of Judah and the devil is referred to as a lion who devours you in the bible.

Revelation 5:5
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

However, many times throughout the bible, animals are also used figuratively to represent various kinds or categories of devil spirits.

Lions, for example, would be in the animalistic and vicious category.

These are the devil spirits that incite people to commit such crimes as murder, rape, and torture.

This is where psychology missed the boat because it basically says that behavior is solely caused by things in the 5-senses realm, but that is only 1/2 the story.

The truth is that human behavior is more influenced by spiritual sources than anything else.

Even the famous French existential philosopher Jean-paul Sartre [1905 – 1980] essentially admits this by saying that to reflect on one’s own experience puts one immediately into a condition of anguish, for one is asked to give an account of [and ultimately, an account for] something elusive and unexplainable.

The “elusive and unexplainable” is the spiritual realm which consists of the word and will of God, which is the bible, and the devil’s will, which is everything that contradicts God’s word.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Ultimately, everybody is either knowingly or unknowingly carrying out the will of the one true God or the God of this world, the devil.

The Pharisees and Sadducees, deceived and deceptive religious leaders in the first century, tried to murder Jesus and the apostle Paul several different times [the will of Satan], but the Lord protected them from their enemies.

John 16
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Idolatry always brings devil spirits in like a magnet.

Revelation 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

There are 2 Babylons:  the physical city that was in the middle east that had the Euphrates river running through the middle of it and the other represents the spiritual realm of the devil.

Modern-day Babylon in Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 and 320 BC.

There are no devil spirits on God’s true way of holiness.

The Lord’s way is spiritually clean.

Yoda version: the way of the Lord, clean is…

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ is the true and living way.

God’s pure light leads us out of darkness!

I John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

 God breaks the bands of bondage!

This means that we have been delivered from the bondage of the world.

Deuteronomy 6:12
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

One of the many types of devil spirits are bondage spirits, which, as the name implies, puts people into various forms of bondage.

In other words, they are afraid to live for God.

Acts 21:20
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

Religious legalism often drives people into bondage, mentally and spiritually enslaving them.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Bondage often leads to fear, which we can cast out of our hearts, homes, and lives with the love of God.

Galatians 2:4
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

Galatians 4 [amplified bible]
9 Now, however, since you have come to know [the true] God [through personal experience], or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and worthless elemental principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again?
10 [For example,] you observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years.

11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [to the point of exhaustion] over you in vain.
12 Believers, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I have become as you are [a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [when I first came to you; do not do it now].

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Verse 15

Psalms 107:15
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

There are only 9 verses in the bible that contain both words “wonderful” and “works”.

Psalm 40:5
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

4 of them [44%] are in Psalms 107, more than any other place in the bible.

Remember that Psalms 107-150 is the 5th and final section of Psalms which has God’s word as the main subject, so in context, God’s word is the Lord’s greatest work ever.

Psalms 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Speaking in tongues is just one of the many wonderful works of God.

Praising God is a sign that we are thankful to him for what he has done for us.

As a matter of fact, being thankful can actually improve your comprehension!

The 136th psalm starts and ends with thankfulness.

Psalms 136
1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Verse 16

Psalms 107:16
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder

Gates of brass

The phrase “gates of brass” [kjv] is only used twice in the entire bible: psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45.

Isaiah 45
1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron

However, the Hebrew word for brass actually refers to bronze.  This Hebrew word is used 10 times in the bible, all in the old testament.

What do history, metallurgy, and nutrition have in common?

There are 3 different metals known as the red metals:

• Copper
• Brass [copper + zinc]
• Bronze [copper + tin and other materials]

Copper Ore

Copper is one of the few metals that occur in nature in directly usable metallic form [native metals] as opposed to needing extraction from an ore. This led to very early human use.

An alloy is a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion, so brass and bronze are alloys.

Bronze is harder than copper [and even pure iron!], easier to melt and pour into molds and is far more resistant to corrosion.

It was used in making weapons, statues, and ornaments.

It’s interesting that in both Psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45:2, brass [bronze] is mentioned first, then iron second.

This is historically accurate since the bronze age occurred before the iron age because extracting iron from iron ore is much more complex and expensive than just using copper directly.

Furthermore, if only 2% to as low as 0.002% carbon is combined with iron, they make steel, which is a metal alloy that has different characteristics than iron.

From a nutritional point of view, copper and iron are essential minerals.

Without copper in the diet, iron cannot even be absorbed, so copper is a prerequisite for iron absorption and that is why its listed before iron.

Thus, from historical, metallurgical and nutritional viewpoints, the order of the words bronze [which is almost all copper] and iron in Psalms 107:16 are perfect.

Since history, metals and nutrition are either mentioned or related to this verse, this is what they all have in common.

The gates of Babylon

Gates of bronze could easily be a description of the gates holding the prisoners in a prison, but could also be a figurative description of the gates that were around the city of Babylon, since the Israelites were held captive in the city of Babylon as well.

Ancient biblical cities had a protective wall around them and metal gates would guard the entrances.

Herodotus, the first great Greek historian, said to be the father of history, said the walls of Babylon were 50 meters thick and 100 meters high with tunnels inside that could carry horses and chariots!

Although it has been said that there were 100 gates guarding Babylon, with 25 on each side, archeologists so far have only found 8.

Nevertheless, these gates were made of bronze and often were covered with large plates of iron, making them virtually impenetrable.

Thus when God broke these gates, the Israelites were finally freed from their bondage as prophesied in the old testament, 70 years after they were captured.

“The Walls of Babylon and the Temple of Bel (Or Babel)”, by 19th-century illustrator William Simpson— influenced by early archaeological investigations.

Welcome to part 4 of this series on Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Help

Ironically, help for the Israelites was just around the corner, but they didn’t see it right away.

Psalms 107:12
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

Contrary to what verse 12 literally says, God himself didn’t bring down the Israelite’s hearts!

How do we know?

Because verse 12 has the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission which actually means God allowed their hearts to be brought down as a consequence of their freedom of will to be rebellious against the words of God.

A very important distinction.

But was there really none to help?!

There were no people to help because they were being held captive by their enemy in Babylon.

Sometimes people can’t or won’t help, but what about other sources, like God?

Psalms 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Both Psalms 107 and Psalms 119 are in the last book or section of Psalms with the main context being the word of God.

The word “offend” is used 14 times in the old testament and is often translated “stumblingblock”.

Since the Israelites spiritually stumbled 4 times in Psalms 107, they apparently didn’t have God’s peace.

With God as our refuge and strength and ready at a moment’s notice to help us out, we can have such strong peace that nothing blows us out of the water;  nothing can cause us to have a meltdown.

In this world of darkness and evil and lies [oh my!], how valuable is that?

Why didn’t the Israelites see God’s help?

Because rebellion is a form of unbelief.

In the Apostolic bible [a Greek translation of the old & new testaments], the word “help” in Psalms 46:1 is the Greek word boēthos [Strong’s #998].

This word is also used in Hebrews 13:6.

Hebrews 13 [amplified bible]
5 Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

Helper definition below: [this is the only place this word is used in the New Testament].

HELPS Word-studies
998 boēthós (a masculine noun) – a helper bringing the right aid in time, i.e. to meet an urgent, real need. See 997 (boētheō)

Root word of #998 above:

Strong’s Concordance #997
boétheó: to come to the aid of
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (bo-ay-theh’-o)
Definition: I come to the rescue of, come to help, help.

HELPS Word-studies
997 boēthéō(from 995 /boḗ, “intense exclamation” and theō, “run”) – properly, to run and meet an urgent distress-call (cry for help); to deliver help, quickly responding to an urgent need (intense distress).

997 /boēthéō (“supply urgently needed help”) means to give immediate aid, in time, for a great need – i.e. “to run, on a call to help” (TDNT, 1:628).

[997 (boēthéō) was originally a military word, responding to a critical, urgent need (MM). 997 (boēthéō) is also used in Homeric Greek (800-900 bc) for responding to a war-cry.]

Significantly, this root word boetheo is used 8 times in the bible.

Biblically, eight is the number of a new beginning, like for the Israelites in Psalms 107 when they cried to God for help and got deliverance several different times.

It certainly is a new beginning in our lives when God quickly responds to an urgent call for help!

Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to have access to this?

The chain of deliverance in Hebrews

• Hebrews 4: the energized word
• Hebrews 11: believing
• Hebrews 13: help is on the way!

Break free from the bondage of the world with the power of God in manifestation.

The reason we’re going into this is to understand the background of the Lord being our helper in Hebrews 13:6 a bit deeper.

The orderly arrangement of the words in the word, as well as the subjects in the word, are always perfect.

We must first understand the true nature of God’s word  [this is only one tiny aspect of it] in order to see how the whole picture works.

Once we have the living and active word of God, it must be mixed with believing in order to see the results in our lives.

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

The word “faith” in verse 2 comes from the Greek word pistis, which is better translated believing.

Look at this definition of “mixed”!

HELPS Word-studies
4786 sygkeránnymi (from 4862 /sýn, “identified with,” intensifying 2767 /keránnymi, “mix into a new and improved compound”) – properly, mix together into a superior compound – “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically [the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements].

This is also very similar to the definition of God’s peace, which is one of the necessary ingredients of believing!

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [the gift of holy spirit in operation].

Definition of peace:

Strong’s Concordance #1515
eiréné: one, peace, quietness, rest.
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (i-ray’-nay)
Definition: peace, peace of mind; invocation of peace a common Jewish farewell, in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual.

HELPS Word-studies
1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole”) – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God’s gift of wholeness).

This is why anxiety is one of the 4 forms of weak believing that Jesus Christ corrected his disciples on.

Matthew 6
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought [merimnaō – don’t be anxious] for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment [clothing]?
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith [believing]?

Jesus’ disciples had weak believing because of anxiety.

So below is an overview of believing, peace and anxiety.

Mixed [with believing]: “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically.
Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

Peace: when all essential parts of our mind are joined together
Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Anxiety: areas of our mind drawn in opposite directions; “divided into parts” = weak believing
Matthew 12
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

The distracted mind is the defeated mind.

This is why we must guard our hearts from the ungodly influences of the world so that it doesn’t divide up our mind against itself.

Below is Psalms 119:165 again, but illuminated with the new light of understanding from the New Testament regarding believing, anxiety and God’s peace.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Philippians 4 [amplified bible]
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Now we better understand why those who love the law of God [his word] can maintain their peace and fellowship with God, even during times of persecution.

The mustard seed of believing

The record below is about a man who brought to the disciples his son who was possessed with a devil spirit, but they couldn’t cast it out, but Jesus Christ did.

Matthew 17
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith [believing] as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Definition of “mustard”:

HELPS Word-studies
4615 sínapi – a mustard plant (“tree”), always used in connection with its seed (the smallest of all Palestinian seeds in common use).
[The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds that a Palestinian farmer would sow in his field. A mustard plant reaches a height of three meters (about ten feet). This is a huge plant when fully matured and bears very tiny seeds.]

mustard-bush

Galatians 5:9
A little leaven [yeast] leaveneth the whole lump [loaf].

This principle works both positively and negatively.

The reason that only a tiny mustard seed of believing can move a mountain is because it’s energized by God’s infinite love.

Galatians 5:6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith [believing] which worketh by love.

“Worketh” comes from the Greek word energeo and means energized.

BELIEVING AND PRAYER

Hebrews 11:1 [amplified bible]
Now faith [believing] is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Below are some verses on believing that can help us individually and enable us to help others as well:

Mark 11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke 22:32
But I [Jesus Christ] have prayed for thee, that thy faith [believing] fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

We can pray for others that their believing succeeds.

1 Thessalonians 3:10
Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith [believing]?

James 5:15
And the prayer of faith [believing] shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Believing the word = speaking the word!

Psalms 116
9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

2 Corinthians 4:13
We having the same spirit of faith [believing], according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

This is where receiving, retaining, and releasing the word of God will cause us to grow abundantly in his grace, strength and love.

Ephesians 4:15
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Want to take your believing up to the next level by speaking the words of God?

Try speaking in tongues! [after all, there’s *only* 18 benefits!]

I Corinthians 12:3 [The Living Bible (TLB)]
But now you are meeting people who claim to speak messages from the Spirit of God. How can you know whether they are really inspired by God or whether they are fakes? Here is the test: no one speaking by the power of the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” and really mean it, unless the Holy Spirit is helping him.

Let’s clarify and summarize the Hebrews chain of deliverance:

1. Hebrews 4: We start with the rightly-divided, living and energized word of God
2. Hebrews 4: Mix it with a tiny mustard seed of believing
3. Galatians 5: Which is energized by God’s infinite and perfect love
4. Hebrews 11: Believing without actions is dead [James 2].  Believing = speaking the words of God, either by our 5-senses knowledge of the word or by operating the manifestations of holy spirit
5. Hebrews 13: While keeping idolatry at bay, we can boldly say the Lord is our helper and we receive deliverance from all our troubles.

Psalms 107
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

By crying unto God, with only a mustard seed of believing left, the Israelites were speaking God’s deliverance into their lives, once again tasting how truly good the Lord’s grace and mercy is.

Now we tackle the second section of Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

What do these 3 aspects of verse 10 mean?

• Sitting in darkness
• Shadow of death
• Bound in affliction and iron

Isaiah 42

Shadow of Death

Valley of the shadow of death

Psalms 107:10
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

The phrase “shadow of death” occurs 19 times in the bible [17x in the OT & 2 in the gospels].  2 of them [10.5%] are right here in Psalms 107.

This means that whatever happened from the day of Pentecost in 28A.D. and onward annihilated the shadow of death.

Although the Israelites were prisoners of war in captivity in Babylon, there are mental prisons too.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Once again, Jesus Christ did his job right!

1 John 3:8
…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Luke 4
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Since death isn’t a physical, tangible object, you can’t literally shine physical light on it.  Therefore, it’s literally impossible for death to have a shadow.

That doesn’t mean the bible is wrong;  it means that the phrase “shadow of death” has to be a figure of speech.

Mamertine prison in Rome.

And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.

The usage of the word lion is significant because there are physical and spiritual lions.

I Peter 5
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen!

This wraps up the third article on Psalms 107.

God bless you all.

We’ve all been there, done that, right?

So have the Israelites.

In Psalms 107 to be exact.

This is because human nature hasn’t changed and God’s word has everything that pertains to life and Godliness.

The symmetry, details, precision and amazing insights of the bible are as profound as they get.

Not to mention free eternal life, a free spiritual body, hope, love, grace, etc…

That’s why the bible is still the best-selling book of all time, despite the fact that millions upon millions of people still don’t understand it.

Yet it’s the will of God that we clearly understand it.

Nehemiah 8:8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

There IS a way to find out how to understand the bible.

That’s where this teaching comes in.

How to understand the book of psalms, especially psalms 107.

What is a psalm?

British Dictionary definitions for Psalm
noun
1. (often capital) any of the 150 sacred songs, lyric poems, and prayers that together constitute a book (Psalms) of the Old Testament
2. a musical setting of one of these poems
3. any sacred song or hymn

Prayers and poems and songs, Oh My!

Oh my, how the wonderful psalms can heal our heart!

All the psalms are deeply interwoven with and correspond to the Pentateuch, the name of the first 5 books of the bible [Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy], adding a breath-taking layer of profound truth to ponder.

Yet [by chapter count] Psalm 107, being just 1 of 150 Psalms, is only 2/3 of one percent of the book of Psalms, which alone is 12% of the bible!

This is why he magnified it above his name.

Psalms 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

This is also why this verse is where it is: because it’s in the 5th book of psalms which is all about God and his word!

Screenshot: Companion reference bible; the structure of psalms

Zooming in on the structure of the fifth book or section of Psalms reveals its theme and foundational psalms – 107.

Screenshot of the companion reference bible on the structure of Psalms 107 – 150.

Matthew 4:4
But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus Christ knew of the healing from God’s word.  That is why he taught it all over the place and why we should too.

Just one screenshot reveals the structure, subject, and summary of Psalms 107 and enables us to get a true view in an instant.

Where else can we find such gems of truth?

Screenshot of Companion reference bible; structure of Psalms 107

One of the many advantages of figures of speech is that they eliminate:

1. Personal opinions
2. Educational or man-made theologies
3. Denominational bias
4. Can avoid conflicts over the true meaning of Scripture [as long as there is meekness and humbleness to God’s word]

allowing us to get to the true word of God like no other.

What details lie ahead for us?

The revealing structure and meaning of Psalms 107.

Seduction in the desert, anyone?

Psalms 107:4
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

Definition of “wandered”:

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
cause to go astray, deceive, dissemble, cause to, make to err, seduce

A primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. Reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both — (cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way.

The 3 words “in a solitary” in the kjv is the Hebrew word Yeshimon and means waste; wilderness; a desolation; a desert.

Spiritually, the devil has made the world a wilderness through deception, confusion, and darkness.

Isaiah 14:17
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Jeremiah has the answer as to why the Israelites were where they were spiritually.

Jeremiah 17
5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

So the Israelites were spiritually seduced in the desert, but by whom and why?

The following screenshot of the Companion Reference bible on Deuteronomy 13 has all the answers.

The spiritual seduction of the Israelites by sons of the devil.

It’s significant to note that the 3 types of seductions listed in Deuteronomy 13 are also 3 of the 8 perils mentioned in part 5 of my article on the 7 types of attacks against us in Romans 8:35!

II Corinthians 11:26
In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

Here is who seduced the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 13:13 [kjv]
Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

Belial comes from a Hebrew word beliyyaal [Strong’s #1100]: and means “worthlessness” and is in reference to people who have sold their soul to the devil. They are literally sons of the devil, impregnated with his corrupt spiritual seed.

That’s why they are worthless in God’s eyes.

That’s why the NASB translates the verse like it does.

Deuteronomy 13:13  [New American Standard Bible]
Some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known).

Now let’s go deeper into this seduction and get another key to the puzzle.

A key that unlocks the door of understanding God’s word.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Definition of “beguiled”:

Greek word: exapatao [Strong’s #1818]: to seduce wholly, deceive

So here’s the chain of seduction in chronological order:

1. In Genesis 3, the devil seduced Eve [who took Adam with her] and became Satan, the God of this world.
2. As God of this world, Satan seduced men to become his sons, [sons of belial]
3. These sons of Belial were leaders [often religious] and seduced the Israelites into a spiritual wasteland.

Why were they seduced in the first place?

Because the spiritual seduction contradicted the very first commandment of God to the Israelites.

Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Contradicting the will of God [the bible] is one of the devil’s methods to cause doubt [which breaks down believing], confusion and every evil work.

In my article on how Bruce Jenner went from the 1976 Olympic decathlon winner to become a transvestite,  the first thing the devil did was to seduce the believers away from worshiping God, which is by speaking in tongues.

There’s nothing new under the sun.

Secondly, the devil wants worship.

Luke 4
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Psalms 107:5
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

Not only is this talking about physical hunger and thirst, but spiritual.

The word of God wasn’t in their hearts.  That is why they trusted in man instead of God.

In part 5 of the 7 attacks against us series, we learned that the Apostle Paul was victorious in all 8 different kinds of perils, which included perils in the wilderness [geographically and spiritually].

Look what God did for Israel!

• God fed Israel in the wilderness
• God blessed Israel in the wilderness
• God led Israel through the wilderness

Since he did this for his adopted sons under the bondage of the old testament law, what can he do for us, his first-born sons in the age of grace?

Map of the wilderness of Paran.

They cried unto the Lord

Psalms 107
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Fortunately, the Israelites still had half a brain left and looked to their heavenly father for help in their time of distress.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

The Israelites still had a hunger and thirst for God and his righteousness, so they sought after God.

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If we seek God’s righteousness instead of our own counterfeit righteousness, look at the blessings!

This takes meekness and humbleness.

Arrogance or pride will only lead you in the wrong direction with negative consequences that are guaranteed to follow.

Proverbs 28:26
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

In Psalms 107:6, the word “cried” is significant.

In the Septuagint [the Greek translation of the Old Testament], it’s the Greek word krazon [Strong’s #2896].

Look where it’s used in the new testament!

Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Screenshot of Companion Reference bible; Notes on Romans 8:15; sonship, not adoption

It is evident that the context is talking about sonship by birth, not by adoption.

Romans 8
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Look at the definition of “abba” in the screenshot below.

Screenshot: definition of abba, used only 3 times in the new testament.

In the context, crying “Abba Father” is worshiping God by manifesting the gift of holy spirit, which can only be done by speaking in tongues.

After the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness, hungry and thirsty, the first thing they did was cry to God for help.

In our times of trouble, we should do the same.

“Abba” is only used 3 times in the entire bible.

Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Jesus Christ is our intercessor between God and us which has the power to turn our negative situations around.

Romans 8
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities [infirmity]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

In verse 26, “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” is our gift of holy spirit [the Christ in us] communicating directly with God because we decided to speak in tongues so that our circumstances can come out for the better.

What a lever of power we have!

In part 2 next month, we will look at our deliverance, praising God and other deep insights of Psalms 107.

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Sword: 

Strong’s Concordance #3162
machaira: a short sword or dagger
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (makh’-ahee-rah)
Definition: a sword.

HELPS Word-studies
3162 máχaira – properly, a slaughter-knife; a short sword or dagger mainly used for stabbing; (figuratively) an instrument for exacting retribution.

In the bible, there are both physical and spiritual swords.

The physical ones were used in countless battles in the old testament and one of the obvious purposes is to kill somebody.  But another purpose is to separate things.

If you are slicing up a big slab of meat or a big fish, what is the result?

You now have several smaller pieces suitable for cooking or storing in a freezer.

In other words, the sword or knife causes division because it divides up a big piece into many smaller pieces.

This has huge implications with regards to spiritual swords.

The spiritual ones are mentioned throughout the bible so that we can be aware and take appropriate action.

Job 19:2
How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

Psalms 55:21
The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

Psalms 57:4
My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Psalms 59:7
Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

Psalms 64:3
Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

Isaiah 49:2
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

Just as a reminder, this is how the 7 different types of attack stack up.

How to conquer: 

Swords are symbolic of war and death, but God can deliver us from both.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Psalm 18:34
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

Psalm 27:3
Though an host [army] should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Even in the old testament, without the name of Jesus Christ, believers could still be confident in their battles, so what about us?

Joshua 23:10
One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

Colossians 2:15
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus Christ decisively defeated the devil.  We have Christ in us, so we can defeat him too.

Psalms 55
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

How to defeat the spiritual swords in the spiritual competition

As an athlete of the spirit, we can quench the fiery darts of the wicked, which come in the form of words and images that contradict God’s word.

Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Robert Garrett, throwing the discus in the 1896 summer Olympics

As a spiritual athlete of God, we have both defensive and offensive equipment to use against our spiritual foe, the devil.

The word of God is our weapon of choice.

II Corinthians 10
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Hebrews 4:12 [amplified bible]
For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I John 5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [believing].
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

In Ephesians, when it talks about being an athlete and quenching the fiery darts of the wicked, it’s referring to evil words, [swords] that have devil spirit power.

Since Ephesians is based on Romans, a prerequisite to defeating the swords of the adversary, the devil, is to claim our 5 sonship rights:

1. Redemption
2. Justification
3. Righteousness
4. Sanctification
5. Word and ministry of reconciliation

The key is to compare what has been said with the word of God.  If there is a contradiction, then we don’t believe the false words and discard them.

SUMMARY

Part 1: 

Here we saw a unique overview of Romans 8 with several different figures of speech of structure.

“Their objective is to precisely and deliberately deviate from the normal pattern of grammatical rules in a specific and documented way.

The purpose of figures of speech is to reveal what is most important in God’s word by emphasizing a particular word or phrase, a verse, a whole group of verses, or even an entire book of the bible or perhaps just a concept.

Figures of speech eliminate a trainload of confusion and conflict about what any given bible verse really means”.

The precision, symmetry, and correspondence of the structural figures of speech demonstrate the deeper and more profound meaning of scripture in a unique and powerful way.

There are 9 rhetorical questions in Romans 8 that makes an indelible impact on us due to the unfathomable goodness of our God!

“Here is the final version so we can feel the real impact of what God has done for us:

1. What shall we then say to these things?
2. If God be for us, who can be against us?
3. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
4. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?
5. Is it God that justifieth?!
6. Who is he that condemneth?
7. Is it Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?!
8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
9. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

The number 9 in the bible is the number of finality and judgment.   God’s final judgment is that we are justified in his sight and nothing shall separate us from his perfect and eternal love”.

Part 2: 

In part 2, we saw that both tribulation and distress were fundamentally the same, except that distress was a more intense version of tribulation [mental stress or pressure].

One of the purposes of stress is to break down our believing by stealing our peace.

How to deal with pressure is shown in the infographic below.

How to process stress and distress in Romans 8:35

Some forms of stress are temptations and being with toxic people.

Stress can be overcome with God’s peace, wisdom, the comfort of his word and operating the manifestations of holy spirit, producing the 9 fruit of the spirit.

Part 3:

Part 3 deals with persecution and famine.

We can overcome these by believing God to change the situation itself, or by changing the meaning of the attack.  In other words, to change our attitude about it.

It’s important to walk in God’s perfect love and cast out all fear so that we can have strong believing for the situation to change by God’s grace, wisdom and mercy.

Acts 5:41 says: “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name”.

God can deliver us from any persecution or famine that may arise.

Psalms 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

Famines, wars and diseases are spiritually caused by idolatry and evil practices of the people.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid with Romans 8:35 overlay

The 7 attacks against us were overlaid against Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid to better illustrate how they operate.

• The first thing attacked is the spiritual realm.
• The second thing attacked is the psychological area
• The third thing attacked is the physical arena

Part 4: believing, love and hope.

In this part, we learned that there are 4 forms of unbelief:

1. Anxiety
2. Fear
3. Doubt
4. Confused wavering reasoning

These 4 things were successfully used against Eve in the first biblical administration in the garden of Eden to cause the fall of man.

Next, the devil attacked Eve’s love for God, which is doing his word.

Finally, the devil attacked Eve’s hope and she fell into the power of Satan, along with Adam that transferred all the power God gave to him over to the devil, so that he became the God of this world.

Part 5: nakedness and peril.

There are 2 broad categories of clothing: physical and spiritual.

Physical clothing has many purposes, but our spiritual clothing is appropriate for all occasions.

After the fall of man, Adam & Eve put physical clothes on to make up for the lack of spiritual clothes.

We must seek God first in order for him to supply all our need, which includes food and clothing.

There are 8 different categories of perils:

1. Waters
2. Robbers
3. Countrymen
4. Heathen
5. City
6. Wilderness
7. Sea
8. False brethren

Out of the 8 perils, 3 are from the environment [waters, wilderness, sea = 37.5%;  2 out of these 3 deal with some form of water] and 5 are from people [robbers, countrymen, heathen, city, false brethren = 62.5%].

It’s interesting that waters are listed as the first peril and it was the devil that made the first peril by destroying the first heaven and earth with water.

II Timothy 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

II Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Speaking of perils in the wilderness, the entire world is a spiritual wilderness, yet look what God did for Israel!

• God fed Israel in the wilderness
• God blessed Israel in the wilderness
• God led Israel through the wilderness

Since he did this for his adopted sons under the bondage of the old testament, what can he do for us, his first-born sons in the age of grace?

CONCLUSION

There are 7 categories of ways the world can attack us, but with all of God’s resources at hand, we can consistently be ready and defeat them all.

Romans 8
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Stay rooted and grounded in love.

Ephesians 3
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Nakedness: 

[root word]

Strong’s Concordance #1131
gumnos: naked, poorly clothed
Part of Speech: Adjective
Phonetic Spelling: (goom-nos’)
Definition: rarely: stark-naked; generally: wearing only the under-garment; bare, open, manifest; mere.

There are 2 broad categories of clothing: physical and spiritual.

Let’s cover the physical first.

We need to know the objective and purpose of clothing:

The objective is to cover some parts of or all of our body.

The purpose is manifold:

1. Protection from:
   1. Weather
   2. Animals or Insects
   3. Environmental hazards
   4. Enemies during fights and wars
2. Special activities [wrestling, scuba diving, managing bee hives, walking in outer space, etc]
3. Gender differentiation
4. Cover private parts
5. Indicate social status or rank
6. Identification through uniforms – an outfit or style of dress worn by the members of a given profession, organization, or rank
7. Religion identification

We will see the importance of the purposes of clothing later on.

There is more than one meaning of the word “naked” in the bible.

1. Physical: no clothes
2. Safety: no protection
3. Spiritual: no gift of holy spirit present

This example in Isaiah contains 1 & 2: physical and safety.

The phrase “naked and barefoot” occurs only 3 times in the bible and all 3 are in Isaiah 20.

Isaiah 20
2 At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

Here, the prophet Isaiah went physically naked for a period of 3 years in the desert as a sign and wonder to Egypt & Ethiopia.

Just imagine if you had to do that!

In Hebrew, this word naked means that all Isaiah was wearing was something like a modern-day g-string.

Egypt was deep into idolatry and paid many consequences as a result, two of which were shame and no protection against the adversary because they walked away from the Lord.

There is a spiritual nakedness also, without the gift of holy spirit.

Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Verse 7 is immediately after the fall of man when he transferred his power over to Satan.  That is when he lost the gift of holy spirit that was upon him upon a condition.

After the fall of man, Adam & Eve put physical clothes on to make up for the lack of spiritual clothes.

The first emotion that Adam felt after the fall was fear when he heard the voice of God in the garden [Genesis 3:10].

Fear contradicts the love of God and is negative believing that will bring consequences.   It’s interesting that the first born child [Cain] became a child of the devil.

Adam and Eve were spiritually naked because they no longer had the gift of holy spirit.

Adam & Eve were sons of God by adoption, not birth like we are.  Even if a Christian really screws up, they still have the spiritual incorruptible seed inside them.

But for people in the old testament, it was possible to lose their gift of holy spirit.

That’s one of the differences in the various biblical administrations.

How thankful we should be!

In this administration of grace, look what the Apostle Paul endured!

II Corinthians 11
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

How to conquer: 

If you need material clothing, keep God first.

Matthew 6 [amplified bible]
25 “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?

27 And who of you by worrying can add one hour to [the length of] his life?
28 And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing],

29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’
32 For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4 [amplified bible]
12 I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.
13 I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God spiritually clothed us when we got born again.

Luke 24:49
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The word “endued” is the Greek word enduo which means to be clothed with.

This verse in Luke is looking forward to the day of Pentecost, only 10 days away, in the year 28A.D. which occurred in the open area of the temple in Jerusalem.

Model city of temple in Jerusalem

Since God clothes us, that means we were spiritually naked before that point in time that God clothed us, which is when we did Romans 10:9 & 10.

The first usage of enduo in the books of the bible written directly to Christians is in Romans 13 twice [in bolded italics].

Romans 13
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

So the key here is the renewed mind, walking in the love, knowledge and wisdom of God instead of falling into the same old 5-senses routine.

Where can you go shopping for your spiritual clothing on sale?

II Corinthians 5:20
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

What is an ambassador?

Definition of ambassador at dictionary.com:
noun
1. a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative (ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary)
2. a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.
3. a diplomatic official serving as permanent head of a country’s mission to the United Nations or some other international organization.
4. an authorized messenger or representative.
Abbreviation: Amb., amb.

What are the clothing needs of an ambassador?

Obviously wearing a pair of old worn-out blue jeans and a torn t-shirt is very inappropriate for an ambassador.

Wearing a top quality suit and tie with a vest would be more fitting.

What about the clothing needs of a wrestler?  Being dressed as if you’re going to spend a winter in northern Siberia would hinder your athletic performance significantly.

How about if you were going to work on a farm?   You would need appropriate clothing for that too.

Look at the versatility of our gift of holy spirit!

We are ambassadors for Christ; wrestlers in the spiritual competition; laborers together with God, and many other things, and yet, the one gift of holy spirit is the most appropriate spiritual clothing in every season and situation.

No matter what “hat” we wear, our one gift of holy spirit means we are dressed for success spiritually!

Colossians 2:10
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

II Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

So in Romans 8:35, when it mentions nakedness, since it’s written to believers, it can’t be referring to us without the gift of holy spirit.

Therefore, it has to do with either our lack of physical clothing, lack of protection or some other lack, which could indicate being out of fellowship with God or not believing him to meet our needs.

We can go shopping for our spiritual clothes in God’s Super Spiritual Clothing Store. You’ll find a custom-tailored outfit just for you.  It’s appropriate for all seasons and situations.  It’s located on aisle 10, Row 9 in the Romans section.  It is the greatest bargain of all because it cost Jesus Christ his life.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Peril: 

Strong’s Concordance #2794
kindunos: danger
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Phonetic Spelling: (kin’-doo-nos)
Definition: danger, peril, risk.

What kind of perils are there?

II Corinthians 11:26
In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

Here, Paul was in 8 different types of danger, yet God delivered him from them all, so he can rescue us as well.

I looked up all the Greek words for the different types of perils so we can have a clearer and more accurate translation:

1.  perils of waters: Potamos – flood, river, stream, torrent;
2.  perils of robbers: lestes (“a bandit, briard”) is a thief who also plunders and pillages – an unscrupulous marauder (malefactor), exploiting the vulnerable without hesitating to use violence.
3. perils by mine own countrymen: genos: offspring, family, race, nation, kind
4. perils by the heathen: ethnos: people joined by practicing similar customs or common culture; nation(s), usually referring to unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews).
5. perils in the city: polis: city;  the first city in the bible was built by a person who was a child of the devil; Stephen, the great man of God in Acts 7, was cast out of the city and stoned to death; in Acts 13, the Judeans stirred up an entire city against Paul and Barnabas and cast them out, etc
6. perils in the wilderness: eremia: desert or uninhabited region;  In Isaiah, Satan has made the world a [spiritual] wilderness>from wild beast;  spiritually this refers to a devil spirit.
7. perils in the sea: thalassa: the sea; In Acts 27, Paul was shipwrecked, but survived; James 1:7 But let him ask in faith [believing], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
8. perils among false brethren:  pseudadelphos: a false brother;  Galatians 2:4
   “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:”  definition of privily: pareisaktos: brought in secretly
   : what is “smuggled in” by subterfuge and deceit – literally, “introduced (imported) from close beside”.

For me, if I categorize things, I can get a new and broader perspective.

Out of the 8 perils, 3 are from the environment [waters, wilderness, sea = 37.5%;  2 out of these 3 deal with some form of water] and 5 are from people [robbers, countrymen, heathen, city, false brethren = 62.5%].

2 out of the 8 deal with water.

It’s interesting that waters are listed as the first peril.

It was the devil that made the first peril by destroying the first heaven and earth with water [Genesis 1:2].

It was also the devil that caused the second peril on the earth by causing a flood in the time of Noah.

[Understanding the depth of this will be the subject of a future article].

II Peter 3:6
Whereby the world that then was [Genesis 1:1, the first heaven and earth], being overflowed with water, perished:

The book of Job, the first book of the bible written chronologically, follows a similar attack pattern consisting of people and the environment.

Because of Job’s fear, the attacks from people in Job 1 consisted of the Sabeans killing his servants and stealing his livestock and the Chaldeans stole their camels and killed more servants.

When it comes to the environment, a fire killed the sheep and servants and a storm knocked down a house, killing all of the men inside.

What does fear mean?

1. Face
2. Everything
3. And
4. Run

OR

• Face
• Everything
• And
• Rule

Make your choice.

How to conquer: 

II Timothy 3
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

II Timothy 4
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Romans 8
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities [infirmity]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

These verses are talking about speaking in tongues, which is perfect spiritual prayer to God and actually have 17 benefits listed in the bible.

Speaking of perils in the wilderness, the entire world is a spiritual wilderness, yet look what God did for Israel!

• God fed Israel in the wilderness
• God blessed Israel in the wilderness
• God led Israel through the wilderness

Since he did this for his adopted sons under the bondage of the old testament, what can he do for us, his first-born sons in the age of grace?

Romans 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Exodus 16:32
And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 2:7
For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

Jeremiah 2:6
Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

This verse was already covered in part 2, so we’ll briefly summarize and go much farther.

The God of hope wants us to be filled “with all joy and peace in believing”, so joy and peace are essential ingredients of believing.  Therefore, if you remove joy and/or peace, you no longer have believing according to God’s word.

Definition of “peace” in Romans 15:13:
Strong’s Concordance #1515
eiréné: one, peace, quietness, rest.
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (i-ray’-nay)
Definition: peace, peace of mind; invocation of peace a common Jewish farewell, in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual.

HELPS Word-studies
1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole”) – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God’s gift of wholeness).

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

The purpose of these first 2 attacks listed in Romans 8:35 [tribulation and distress] are to break your believing down in God and his word.

Definition of “tribulation” from Romans 8:35:
pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”).

2347 /thlípsis (“compression, tribulation”) carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is “no way of escape” (“hemmed in”).

Definition of “distress” in Romans 8:35:
a narrow space, great distress, anguish
(figuratively) a difficult circumstance

What happens if you step on a chocolate chip cookie?

A chocolate chip cookie will break into pieces under pressure, just like our believing in God can, unless we strengthen ourselves with God’s word.

It breaks into many small pieces from the stress, pressure, and impact, just the opposite of the meaning of God’s peace in Romans 15:13.

The goal of the world is to break down our believing in God by pressure and distress.

Remember this infographic from the last article?

Now we will dig deeper into it for another level of understanding.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid with Romans 8:35 overlay

This pyramid with the Romans 8:35 overlay illustrates the order of attack: first the spiritual, then the psychological, then the physical.

But there are more ways the world can break down our believing that we need to know about.

II Corinthians 2:11 [amplified bible]
To keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Once we know how our enemy works, then we can be trained and prepare for victory instead of defeat.

The subject of how the world attacks our believing, love and hope is actually part of a different series of articles called the fall of man that I’ve been thinking about for some time, so this series and that one have a piece in common.

So rather than write the same article twice, I will simply link you to part 2 of the fall of man, and go to part 5 of this series next month.   I will then have to finish the fall of man series by making part 1 asap.  Crazy, I know.

While making the 7 attacks series, I didn’t foresee all this coming, so you just have to be flexible in your plans.  It’s generally better to write part 1 before writing part 2… 😉

Discover how Satan broke down Eve’s believing, love, and hope and how to be victorious in the spiritual competition!